Stone Breath - The Silver Skein Unwound

  by Andrew Carver

published: 29 / 12 / 2003

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Review

Stone Breath is a three person outfit — Timothy, Prydwyn and Sarah — who take their musical cues from the fractured folk music of Comus and the Incredible String Band. Paganism and Christianity interact through the lyrics; 'A Bottle of Breath' features a recording of a street preacher before launching into the body of the song, and the well illustrated booklet features images from pagan and Christian mythology. The musical backing is stripped down, with Timothy usually playing some stringed instrument, such as dulcimer, banjo or revelator guitar, and Prydwyn playing a wind instrument like a whistle or flute, though both do wander further afield. Sarah’s contribution is almost entirely vocal, her singing pitched nicely in contrast with Timothy and Prydwyn’s more solemn harmonising. The band has absorbed the psychedelic folk of the late ’60s and early ’70s with uncanny accuracy, and it’s safe to say that anyone who enjoys the work of their predecessors will be delighted with the work of their descendants.

Track Listing:-

1 Wasp-Sting, Thorn, And Arrowhead
2 A Bottle Of Breath
3 The Prayer Of The Circling Birds
4 Last Lost Love Song
5 Secrets Bound In Skin
6 Through The Trees Again
7 Bless The Lily, Bless The Rose
8 Ephrata Sacred Heart
9 Midgard For A Dreamless Sleeper / The False Bird
10 The Hidden Heart
11 For Those With Ears To Hear Us
12 Let The Towers Fall
13 Arrowhead, Thorn, And Wasp-Sting